Automatic transmission mechanism



AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION MECHANISM. APPLICATION HLED'AUG.`I2, 1921.

Patented' oat. I7, 1922.

2 suing-SHEET 1.

Innung."

CH. GILL. AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSON MECHANISM.

`APPLICATION FILED AUG. l2. 1921. I

Patented 0st. 17, 1922.'

-2 SHEETS-SHEET, 2.

kPatented @et 17, 1.922.

'iran stares natuur ortica.

CHARLES rI. GILL, or CHICAGO, rLLrNoIs, assreivoa or cnn onn-nunnannrn 'ro ERNEST L. rnn'rus. or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

.AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION' lVlECHANISlVL Topall whom t may concern.:

Be it known that l, .CHARLES H. GILL, a

citizen of the `United States, residing at Chi# cago, in the county of Cook and State of illinois, haveinvented a new and useful Automaticv `Transmission Mechanism, of which the following isa specification. l

lily invention relates to mechanisms for transmitting the rotary motion of a driv.

ing shaft to a driven shaft Iatvvarying ratios of speed therebetween and provided with automatic means for varying the said ratios to meet variationsinthe resistance offered to the rotation of the driven shaft. rlhis invention is an improvement upon my friction transmission mechanism, tiled April 17th, 1920, Serial No. 374,633,l allowed J une th, 1921, and upon mytransmission mechanism, filed December 29th, 1920, Serial No. 433,930, and my selfadjusting transmission mecha nism, filedvluly 7th, 1921, Serial No. 483,166. Referencemay,Tv be had to these several applications for Letters Patentin connection with the present application.

The .construction disclosed herein is srperior to any of the foregoiing constructions in that it accomplishes the same purposes as those said constructions do but eliminates any necessity for slippage in the frictional engagement of the driving friction disk and the driven friction wheel. It further eliminates the necessity `for almost constant slippage between .the member splined upon the driven shaft and the flat surface of the friction driven wheel, as in. my self adjusting transmission mechanism, above referred` to,

confining such slippage to times when reduc-` tion of the ratio of the speed of the driven shaft to the speed of the driving shaft is dcsirable, and not slipping at all under normal, even rim-ning conditions. Since slippage 4means we r, the advantage of avoiding an excessive degree of it is evident. n

mechanism to operate to increase the ratio of the speed -of the driven shaft to the speed of the driving shaft.

l. attain these objects, and others as may herein appear, by the mechanism. illustrated inthe accompanying-drawings, in which j Figure 1 is a side elevation and partly sectional view of my complete device; Figure 2 is a front elevation and partly sectional View of the same or maybe described as a section taken on the line 2 2 of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a plan section taken on the line 3 3 of Figure 1; Figure 4 is a plan section taken on the line if1 of Figure 1; Figure 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional detail view taken on the line 5 5 of Figure 2; Figure 6 is a plan section taken on the line 6 6 of 'Figure 1; Figures 7 and 8 are detail views illustrating different positions of the segmental gears from the position shown in Figure 3; and Figure 9 is an enlarged sectional detail taken on the line 9 9 of Figure 6.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

11 designates a driving shaft having a friction disk 12 splined thereon and urged away from a collar 13 on the shaft 11 by a spiral spring 11 interposed between the collar 13 and the disk 12. The collar 13 is ad instable, being secured upon the shaft 11 by a set-screw 15.

,A shaft 16 is rotatably journaled in the frame 17 of the machine and is provided. with screw threads 18 and a keyway 1.9 cut through and below the said threads 18. A. bevel gear wheel 2() is secured upon the shaft 1 6 and engages a b-evel gear wheel 21 upon a shaft 22 leading to the mechanism to be driven through this automatic transmission mechanism.

A friction wheel 23 is mounted for free rotation on the shaft 16 and is longitudinally slidable thereon, enga-ging the disk 12 which is pressed against it by the spring 14. A. collar 2-1l having a lower portion of small diameterl and an upper portion of greater diameter is loosely mounted upon the shaft 16 with its lower surface in contact with the upper flat surface of the friction wheel 23. and its upper surface in contact with the lower fiat surface of a seg/'mentally -toothed wheel. 25 secured to a collar 26 splined upon the shaft 16 by means of a feather 27 `engagl a ini ing the keyWay 19 in the shaft 16. A spiral spring 28 surrounds t-he shaft 16 and presses the sha-tt 16,- and passesthrough an internally threaded opening 31 in aslidable traine 32 to be later described. The threads of the sleeve 30 engage the internal threads of the opening 31 and the lower end of the sleeye 3() abuts against the Washer 29 While the upper end of the sleeve 30 is provided vwith lle'd portion 33 ior convenience in ad yusting.

finsueli in l y tend to become ,Wound upon the collar 24- A eoil spring 34 has its outer end lseeiired to a pin projecting trein the hat upper suriiaee et" the friction ivheel 23 and itsiinl ner end secured the periphery the 4collar "inner that the spring 84w1ll when the friction 'vif'lieel rotated its normaldirectionyas indicated arrows in Figiii'es 2, 3,y 45 and e.. threaded 'shait 36 passes through an internally threaded opening37i through the t 'tion lWheel 23.*yith its lower end projeotf ing' below the friction Wheel 23 and having `a small. segmental gear Wheel 38 secured upon it near its upper` end for rotation theree with; the seginental gea-r 3S being` adapted to with the teeth of thesegmentally toothed iijheel 25; it portion 39 of the selgl mental gear 38' has spiral springs 4() seeureg'd toeither side thereof and topins 41 j a'roje'et t'rorn the upper hat surface of the friction Wheel 23. y A n Ain internally threaded Wheel 42, haying a huh .43; is1norinted upon ithe shaft 16 in serrer,7 engagement With the threads 18 thereoll and is provided with spacedfteeth 44 around and upon the upper face of the Wheel 42 which are 'adapted to be engaged bythe threaded shaft 36 under certain Yconditie'ns te. he laterexplained. y y

i slidable traine 32 einbraees the threaded sleeve 30, the internally threaded Wheel 42 and `all ot' the members inounted iiponthe shaft 16 between. the sleeve 30 and the ivheel 42 and maintains thein in lined spaced 'relationship to .each other threughout their inoyeinents longitudinally et and upon the shaft 16. loose collar surroiinds the shaft 16 between the wheel 42 and the traine A, pin 46 having' an enlarged head 47 passes through an 'opening 48 in `the traine and surrounded by a' light spiral vspring 49 which presses against the head 47 "and the traine 32 and `forces the head 47 against th smooth under surface ofthe Wheel 42, actii'ig as a li ght brake therefor. l

The slidahle traine 32 is lnovidedl With bifureated arins 50 which straddle a rod 51 set in vtheyjinaehine traine 1? parallel .with

trarne 32 longitudinally ot and upon the shaft 16 but not permitting` rotation of the traine A collar 52 is iiXed upon the shaft 16 and spiral spring 53 surrounds the shaft' 16 resting upon the collar 52v and a collar 54 loose upon the shaft 16 rests upon the spring The bottone` of the trarne 32 is adapted tojeontactiyith the loose collar 54 when the friction Wheel 23 approaches alinost to the axis oi the friction disk 12.

In considerino the operation oi this meehanisin; it `will ee advantageous to first as suine that the shaft 11 is being rotated in clock-Wise,direetioiiby a inotor or engine, carrying the disk l2 with it in rotation and with the` disk 12 pressed intov frictional engagement ivith the irictin Wheel 23 by the spring 14, it heing vrenneinhered that the disk 12 is splined upon the shaft 11' and slidable longitudinally7 tht-reen7 and that the fric-- tion' iirheel 2S is engaging the disk 12 Vat a point near the periphery of the disk 127 as lar 24- by the friction Wheel 23 than col lar can offer to the turning of the frictio'nwheel 23 by reason oi the differences in the `friction areas presented by the collar'24 to the friction Wheel 23 and to the segnien tally `toothed Whe-el 25 which presses against the larger upper surface o the collar 24. llenee7 it iyill be rnucheasier for the friction wheel 23 to rotate in'depend'entlyv of the eollar 24, in so fares the irietional engagement between therni's Concerned, than for the collar 24 to rotate independently ot lthe segnien-tally toothed Wheel 25.

The vcollar 24, theretore tend to sari-j." with it in rotation theV seginentally toothed Wheel 25 and the collar 26 through trie tional engagement under pressure orn ythe spring 26 and, since the eollar 26 is splined upon the shatt- J that shaft rnust rotate With the Collar and, through the engageinent the bevel gear Wheels 2O and 21,y the shaft 22v1nust rotate with the shaft 16. although at different speed as determined by the respective diaineters oi` the beitel gear Wheels 20v 'and 21. 'l

Before the spring 34 can :rain suihcien tension to t-ransinit therotary lnotion of the trietioii :Wheel 23 to the collar 24 it must perinit thefriction Wheel 23 to .rotate sonie4 what independently oi the collar the seginentally ytoothed theel the rotary relationship oit the t'rietion Wheel 23 land the Wheel 25 would be changed troni the normal rotary relationship illus- Vtrated in vFigure 3 to that illustrated in F ure 7 or thereabouts. 'Such relative rotation of .the friction wheel 23, carrying the segmental gear 38,7on the shaft 36 with it,

wouldcause the segmental gear 38t0 be partially rotated, as yseen in Figure 7, by

engagement'with the teeth ofthe segmen- 36 to engage between the teeth 44 on'the internally threaded wheel 42, thus locking the wheel 42 to the friction wheel y23 for rotation therewith. So long as there is no slippage in the ifrictional kengagement of the collar 24 with the segmentally toothed wheel 25, both the threaded shaft 16 and. the internally threaded wheel` 42 will rotate fin unison and there will, therefore, be no travel of the internally threaded wheel 42 either upwardly or downwardly upon the shaft 16. n 'Y y Now, should slippagedevelop in the frictional engagement\between` the collar 24 and the segmentally. toothed wheel 25, through' increased resistance tothe rotation of the shaft 22, the shaft 16 will be driven as much slower than the internally threaded wheel 42.` as the. slippage amounts to and, h encer the, internally threaded'wheel 42l will spiral downwardly on the shaft 16, carrying with it the sliding frame 32'and all it embraces, thus moving the friction wheel 23 nearer to the axis ofthe disk 12 where it isv driven at decreased speed but .with correspondingly greater torque. When this increased torque becomes suicient toequalizetheincreased resistance to rotation of the shaft 22 .the slippagebetween the collar 24 and the wheel 25 will cease and the speeds of the shaft 16 andthe wheel willagain be equal, when spiral movement of the `wheel 42 will cease. Any further increase in resistance to rot-ation of the shaft will, of course, act in the same way as above described to bring 'the friction wheel 23 lstill nearer to the axis of the dislr12 and to reduce the ratio vof its speed to the speed of the disk 12 lwhileincreasing the ratio of thetorque of the fric# tion wheel 23 to the torque ofy the disk 12.

lNew, should the resistance to rotation of.

the shaft decrease, thetension of the spring 34 will add itstorsional urge to the torque transmitted fromthe friction'wheel 23 tothe collar 24 througlrthe spring 34 and will thus vcause thevcollar Ito rotate faster than the friction wheel 23while the spring 34 recoversv from a part of its ten'- i sion. As this will also cause the segmentally toothed. wheel 25-'to` rotate `faster, .the effect vwill lbe to rotate thesegmental gear 38 and shaft 36 in thedirection lshown in Figure 8, tliusfspiralling the shaft36fout ,of

` not engagement with the teeth 44 of the internally threaded wheel 42 and unlocking the wheel 42 from the friction wheel The resistance odered to the rotation of the wheel 42 by thespring pressed pin 48 is c sufficient to stop or retard thewheel 42, with the resulty that the shaft 16 will now be rotating faster than lthe wheel 42, causing 'that wheeland theframe 32, .with all that'fthe said vframe embraces, to move vupwardly uponthe shaft 16 until the increasing resistance.'retensions'4 the spring 34, Aallowing partial rotation of the frictionwheel23 independently of and beyond the rotation of the collar 24,4 thus again locking the internally threaded wheel. 42 to the friction wheel 23 `and restoring equality Iof rotational speedsY between the shaft 16 and wheel 42.

Thusyeach change in the resistance offered to the rotation of the shaft 22 is automatii cally met by movement toward or away from the vaxisof the dislr12 by the friction wheel 2 3, with consequent changes in the speed and torque ratios of the said shaft to the said disk.

The spring 1 4 should be so adjusted as to tension, lby moving the collar 13 on the shaft 11, asto insure that it will always be somewhat easier for thek collar 24 to slip in its engagement with the segmentally toothed wheel 25 than for the friction wheel 23 to slip in its engagement with. the disk 12. Also, the spring 28 should be so tensioned as tobarely allow the collar 24 to slip against the segmentally toothed wheel 25 a littlev easier than thefriction wheel 23 canslip against'thefdisl; l2.

The spring 53 on the shaft 16 is provided so that, should Athe friction wheel 23 be brought downto the axis of the dislr12 under a very great resistance to rotation .of the shaft 16, recovery may be made when said resistance `is removed or reduced. As the friction wheel 23 would be receiving no rotary impulse when at this dead center, the ordinarily4 operative Aspiralling means would get it out oflthis position, even' though all.. resistance vwas removed. However, slightlybefore such dead center is reached, the frame 32 contacts with the loose collar 54 and further downward movement of that frame compresses thevspring 53.` lVhen the cause vfor the downward movement/is reits contents upwardly enough to remove the friction. wheel 23 fromthe dead center, the internally threaded wheel 42 (then loose from the 4friction wheel23) rotating idly top ermit such. upward movement.

ltvwill be .evident that numerous departuresjfromjthe specific construction described herein might be made without ldeparting fromfthespirit of niyinvention. I do not, therefore, wish to be limited lto this constructio'n'orto acquiesce any limitations whatmoved, the spring 53 forces the frame 32 and iof , tion driving member andavvay eyerexcept such vas may beV imposed by the state of the prior art or byv theV claims forming a part hereof.

1.111 automatic transmission mechanism', the combinationv oiaV 'friction driving inem= ber, a' friction Wheel rotatable by and Inovable radially oi said iri'ctiondriving member, a ldriven shaft mountingsaid Yiliction Wheel, a friction memberr upon said driven shaft trictionally driven by saidy trictiontvheel, and means becoming operative upon any slippage Whatever in the trictional 'drive oi' the said friction member' tor moving the said tric-tion `Wheel radially 'ot the said friction drivingmember andtoivard the anis thereof.

2.l In automatic tansmission mechanism,

the combination of a'i'rictibn driving mem! ber, lrictionvvheel rotatable by and'movable radially et the said trietion driving inembei", a threaded shaft trictionally rotatable with said' friction "wheel, an internally threaded member mounted upbh said threaded' shalt in screw engagement therewith,

`means tor locking said internally threaded lriiember tosaid friction ivheel tor/rotation therewith, means operating through slippage in the rictiona-l'drive of the said threaded Ashalt for moving the said friction Wheel radially olf the said trietion driving member and toward the axis thereof, means controlled by any diminution in the resistance oileied to the rbtation ot' thesaidv threaded shaft :for unlocking the lsaid in'- ternally threaded mei` from the said friction Wheel', means for i'etarding the speed of rotation oi the said internally threaded member relative to the 'speed or' rotation of the saidthreaded shaft, and ineans con-k trolled byfsu'ch retardationl for moving thev said'frictio'n Wheel radially ot the saidiri`cA from' the axis ot said vfriction driving member. i 'Y In automatic transmissionmechanism,

the combi-nation of a driving shaft, a driven shalt, Itri'etionally engagingmembers adapted totransmit rotary motion 'from saidl driv# ing to said driven shaft through variable speed mechanism, andfautmati'c means tor adjusting the said' variablesp'eedmeehanisin toi-,reduce the ratio of the'rotary speed of the said driven shaft to the rotary speed of the said driving shai't proportionally vtoall slippage between the 'said' triction'ally engaging members.

et. In automatic transmission mechanism,

Y the cbmbination oi"- a threadedl shaft, a meinber splihe'd upon said shaft, an element loosely mounted upon said Yshaftahd frictio'nally engaging said member,l a yWheel looselymounted upon said shaft, resilient means ,cbupling the said element to the said Wheel'tor rotation thereby, an 'internally threaded -member mounted upon said shaft and in screw engagement therewith, means Menges/r @ensei-na' slippage in the fri-@nomi es.

gagement bl'the said splinedrmember and the si'ridelenient for causing the said intere nally threaded member `to spiral upon the tlitereitith, ineans for couplingor uncoupling the said rotatable member and the said internally threaded member, and vmeans conf other, means controlled by the yield of 'the said members in their said engagement for automatically adjusting thev said speed changing mechanism to decrease thel ratio or' the speed. of the said driven shaft toI they speed of thel said driving shaft, tvvo elements, resilient means coupling the said-two elements, and means becoming operative through partial recovery of the said resilient means from a teiisional condition thereof for automatically1 adjusting the said speed f changing mechanism to increase-the ratio of the speed oi' the'said driven shaft to the speed koi1 the said driving shaft.

l 7. In automatic transmission mechanism, the combination ol a driving friction inember, a lfriction Wheel driven by said friction driving member through rictional engagement therewith, two friction elements, and automatic means actuated by any slippage whatever of the said friction elements in their engagement With each other for so adjusting the position of the said friction Wheel relative to the axis of the said driving :friction member as to overcome the slippage of the said ,friction element.

8. In automatic transmission mechanism, the combination of a driving shaft, a driven sha-ft, a driving member carried by said i 4shaft rotatable -bysaid driving member,

the said feathered member into frictional engagementwith the` said element, and

means whereby any degree of slippage in the frictional engagement of the said element and the said feathered member Will automatically so adjust the said rotatable member with respect to the said driving member as to diminish the ratio of the rotary speed of the said driven shaft to the rotary speed of the said driving shaft in fixed proportion to the degree of said sli'ppage. v

9. 1n automatic transmission mechanism, the combination of a driving member, a driven member frictionally engaging said driving member, a rotatable member frictionally engaging said driven member, and means becoming operative upon the slightest degree of slippage vin the frictional engagement of the said driven member and the said rotatable member under varying `degrees of resistancebffered to the rotation of the said rotatable member for automatically so reducing the ratio of the speed of the said driven member to the speed of the said driving member `and increasing the ratio of the torque of the said driven member to the torque of the said driving member as to overcome thesaid slippa e. e e

10. n automatic transmission mechanism, the combination of a driving shaft, a driven shaft, speed changing mechanism comprising frictionally engaging members, and automatic means operated by the slightest degrec of slippage in the frictional engagement of the said members for adjusting the said speed changing mechanism to reduce the speed of' rotation of the said driven shaft relative to the speed ofvrotation of the said driving shaft.

11. In automatic transmission mechanism, the combination of av driving shaft,k a driven sha-ft, speed changing mechanism, a friction membera resilient member, automatic means controlled by slippage of the said friction member forreducing the ratio of the speed and increasing` the ratio of the torque of the said driven shaft to the speed and torque respectively of the said driving shaft to counteract increases in the ydegree of resistance offered to the rotation of the said driven shaft, and automatic mea-ns controlled by said resilient member for increasing the ratio of the speed and decreasingthe ratio of the torque of the said driven sha-ft to the speed and torque respectively of said driving shaft to counteract decreases in the degree of resistance offered to the rotation of the said driven shaft.

l2. 1n automatic transmission mechanism,

the'wcombination of a ro tion member,V a rotatab;`

lofe; drivingfrir threaded shaft, a friction Wheel `loosely mounted upon said shaft and driven and nr @blc radially of the said driving friction member in continuous frictional engagement the enitli. an

r'internally threaded member mounted upon said shaft in screw engagement there i and normally rotating at like speed and nire direction to said shaft, means controlled by decreases in the resistance offered to the rc tation of the said driven shaft for retarding the speed of rotation of the said internally threaded member relative to the speed of said shaft, and means becoming` operative through the said retarding of said internally threaded member for moving the said friction Wheel radially of and away from the axis of the said friction driving member.

13. In automatic transmission mechanism, the combination of a 'rotatable threaded shaft, an internally Vthreaded member in screw engagement with said shaft, a rotatable member mounted upon said shaft, a resilient member, locking means adapted for coupling the said internally threaded member and the said rotatable member for rotation together, and automatic means controlled `by the said resilient member for operating said locking means.

let. ln automatic transmission mechanism, the combination of a rotatable threaded shaft, an internally threaded member in screw engagement with said shaft, a rotatable member mounted upon said shaft, a resilient member, locking means adaptedl for coupling the said internally threaded member and the said rotatable member together, and automatic means controlled by increasing tension of said resilient member for operating the vsaid locking means to couple the said internally threadedr member and the said rotatable member together and controlled by decreasing tension of said resili ent means for operating the said locking means to uncouple the said internally threaded member and the said rotatable member.

15. In automatic transmission mechanism, the combination of a driving shaft, a driven shaft, speed ratio varying mechanism interposed betweeny the said shafts, two frictionally engaging members, and means becoming operative through any slippage in the fric tional engagement of the said members for automatically adjusting the said speed ratio varying mechanism to reduce the ratio of the speed of the said driven shaft to the speed of the said driving shaft progressively and to effect such progressivel reduction of the speed ratio of the said driven shaft at a rate proportional to the degree of slippage of the said frictionally engaging members.'

16. In automatic transmission mechanism, the combination of a `driving shaft, a driven shaft, speed ratio varying mechanism interposed between the said shafts, two yieldebly 'envao'no members and means becomino' bb 2:7 l 7 2'? operative throngh any yield n the yeldable `engagement of the said members 'for automatically adjusting the said speed ratio verving mechamsm to reduce the ratlo off the s o eed of the said driven ,simfb'vto'the' speedjoi ehe I` `said driving lshaft progressively and to effect such progressive reduetlon of Ythe speed T3151@ of the seid dijven siiafte't fijate proportional to the degjeeof 'yield in `the engage eI-'nimes H. GIL-L. 

